Means for fastening tie-plates upon crossties



' April 2, 1946. F. A. PRESTON I 7,

MEANS FOR FASTENING TIE PLATES UPON CROSS TIES Filed May 22, 1944 Z?- 16' v {7 (I: 11

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Patented Apr. 2, 1946 S FOR FASTENING TIE-PLATES UPON CROSSTIES Fred A. Preston, Lake Forest, 111., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Poor & Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Application May 22, 1944, Serial No. 536,785

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in means for fastening railway tie-plates upon railway cross-ties.

Generally speaking, the object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical, inexpen sive means for the purpose stated which may readily be applied to a cross-tie and a tie plate and which, when operatively applied, has spring energy stored therein so that it acts constantly to hold the tie-plate firmly seated upon the tie; i. e., both initially and as any wearing or sinking of the tie-plate into the tie occurs.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in a tie-plate fastening means embodying the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement offparts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in I the accompanying drawing and defined in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a cross-tie, showing a tie-plate seated thereon and fastened thereto by means constructed and operating in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is an end View of the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Figure 3 is a top planview of the shown in Fig. 1; and a Figure 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale illustrating a detail of the structure.

Referring to the drawing in detail, A designates a portion of a cross-tie, B designates a tieplate seated upon the top of the cross-tie A, C designates a portion of a rail seated upon the tie-plate B, and D designates, genrally, a means, constructed and operating in accordance with the invention, for fastening the tie-plate B upon the cross-tie A.

The tie-plate B may be of any standard or preferred design and spikes, clips or any other suitable means may be provided to maintain the rail C seated thereon or in operative relationship thereto.

In association with any given tie-plate B only a single fastening means D may be employed at either end thereof, or two fastening means D may be employed, one at each end thereof. In any event, any given fastening means D comprises a yoke I0 and a cooperating strap II, the yoke being of U-shape and preferably of one-piece construction and including a horizontally disstructure posed bottom portion I2 and a pair of vertically disposed arms I3; I3 rising from the ends thereof, and the strap II being simply an elongated element provided at its ends with slots I 4, M to receive the free upper end portions of the arms I3, I3, respectively.

The arms I3, I3. are spaced apart a distance corresponding substantially to the width of the cross-tie A and are of lengths somewhat greater than the height of the cross-tie. Accordingly,

when the yoke I 0 is'operatively applied to the cross-tie in the manner shown in the drawing, with its horizontally disposed bottom portion I2 underlying the tie and engaged with the bottom face thereof and with its arms I3, I3 extending upwardly at opposite sides of the tie, respectively, the tie is snugly embraced by said yoke and the arms I3, I3 extend above the .top thereof.

Both the yoke I0 and the strap II, are formed from spring steel of suitable cross sectional size and shape. Moreover, the outer edges of the free upper end portions of the arms I 3, I3 are provided with downwardly facing ratchet teeth I5 and the walls defining the outer ends of the slots.

I4, I4 are inclined downwardly and outwardly to provide at the upper, outer corner of each slot I4 an upwardly facing tooth I6 for cooperation with the teeth I5 of the related arm I3. In addition, the normal spaced apart relationship of the free upper end portions of the arms I3, I3 is such that the distance between the bases of the teeth I5 of the respective arms is at least as great as the distance between the peaks of the respective teeth I6. It is manifest, therefore, that in order for the strap I I to be moved downwardly over the free upper end portions of the arms I3, I 3, it is necessary that said portions of said arms be flexed inwardly to permit the teeth I6 to ride over the teeth I5. It is equally manifest that when the teeth I6 ride over any of the teeth I5, the free upper end portions of the arms I3, I3 will spring outwardly and thereby cause the teeth I5, I6 to cooperate with each other to hold the end portions of the strap-II against upward movement relative to the arms I3, I 3. In short, the described construction provides ratchet connections between the end portions of the strap II and the free upper end portions of the arms I3, l3, permitting the end portions of said strap readily to be moved downwardly relative to said arm portions, but preventing their upward move-- ment relative thereto.

The yoke I0 first is applied to the tie A in alinement with an end portion of the tie-plate B and is held temporarily in any suitable manner in j its uppermo st position with its bottom portion 12 engaged with the under face of the tie. The

strap II then is disposed transversely with respect to the tie-plate, across the top thereof,

and the free upper end portions of the arms l3,

1 l3are entered in the slots l4, M. Then, in any suitable manner and by the employment of any 1 suitable implement, or implements, the ends of the strap H are, forced. downwardly relative to the arms l3, [3, not only until the medial portion' of said strap is engaged with the top of ing. j

the tie plate, but thereafter until the end por tions of the strap have been flexed downwardly relative to the medial portion thereof.

end portions of the strap are flexed downwardly,

the teeth It cooperate successively with the 1 As i the teeth l5 to maintain said end portions .fiexed 5' downwardly. Thus, spring energy i stored in the strap and this stored spring energy tends constantly to urge the yoke upwardly and. the

. strap downwardly, with the result that the tieplateis maintained securely clamped against the tie both initially and as any sinking or-wearing of the tie-plate into the tie occurs.

Obviously, the strap u may be nor-many straight ornormally bowed. Obviously, too, the free upper end portions of the arms 13, 33, instead of having teeth at their'out'er edges, may

have teeth at their inner-edges for cooperation with teeth at the inner ends instead of at the outer ends of the slots l4, M, which would in volve having the'upper ends of the arms 53, i3

and the strap relative to the tie is preferred,

however, a being generally more practical than any of the alternative arrangements mentioned.

While it is not essential that any means be provided to holdthefastening means D against creeping longitudinally with respect to the tie plate B, or vice versa, the tie-plate may be suitably provided, if desired, at either or both ends thereof with either a transverse depression or with a pair'of upstanding'ribs ll'as shown pro viding therebetween a channel to accommodate the strap ll, thus to insure an initial redetermined relationship between said strap and said tie-plate and also to insure maintenance of this relationship.

Obviously each arm'|3 might be provided with only a single tooth in lieu of the series of teeth l5 shown for cooperation with either a singletooth or a plurality ofteeth at the related'end of therelated slot M, or, alternatively, any equivalentof the teeth l5, l6 might be provided in lieu of said teeth. Moreover, to facilitate insertion of the free end portions of the arms I3, l3 into the slots l4, [4, the toothed edges of said free end portions may be'beveled as indicated at 18.

As will be manifest, thefastening means D serves not only to maintain the tieplate firmly seated upon the tie, and thetie against dropping away from the tie-plate, butalso asya clampband to hold the tie against splitting and spread- Should it be desired at any time to release any given fastening means D, this may readily be'done simply by'springing the free ends of the arms l3, l3 or. in a direction to disengage the teeth l5 from the teeth l6.

Without further'description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will. of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of con struction may be resorted'to, without departing from the spirit of'the invention and'scope orthe appended claim. I claim: Means to clamp a tie-plate securely upon a cross-tie comprising a U-shaped-yoke including a pair of upright arms disposed at opposite sides ofthe tie, respectively, and a horizontally disposed. portion connecting said arms at their lower ends and extending. beneath the. tie and seated against the bottom thereof, a strap or spring material engaged with and; extendin across the top of the tie-plate and having slots in the end portions thereof throughwhich the upper end portions of said yoke. arms extend, teeth at the outer sides of the upper end. portionsof said yokeearm r having downwardly and outwardly inclined outer faces, teeth at the. outer ends of the slots in said strap for engagement with the teeth of said yoke arms tohold the end portion of said strap under downward flexure and thus hold the tie plate clamped downwardli against'the tie, the normaldistance between the outer faces of the upper end portionsof said arms being greater than the distance between the outer ends ofsaid slots so that the upper end portions of said arms must be sprung; inwardly to permit them to enter said slots,the distance 7 between the 1ower portions of said arms being substantially equal-to the width of the tie so that when the upper portions of said arms aresprung inwardly the said lower portions thereof are drawn into tight engagement withthe sides of the tie, the said upper portions of said arms being offset outwardly from their lower portions 'for fastening cooperation with said strap at FRED A. PRESTON. 

